Cook Street Recipe: Mushroom-Leek Souffle
Serves 12
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 leeks, white and 2 inches green part, cut into ¼-inch dice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups mushrooms sliced
2 ½ cups milk
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 eggs, separated, room temperature
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Gruyère cheese
Warm half of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are soft and just starting to turn lightly golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool. Using the same pan heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms, salt and pepper and sauté until mushrooms have given up their liquid. Allow all of the liquid to evaporate and remove from heat and let cool.
Pour the half-and-half into a saucepan and bring it almost to the boiling point. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk 1 to 2 minutes. Add the scalded half-and-half to the flour mixture, stirring rapidly with a whisk. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sauce is smooth and thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the egg yolks to the cream sauce, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add the Gruyère, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooled leeks and mushrooms to the cream sauce. Mix well.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. While the oven is heating, place the egg whites in a clean bowl and beat until they form soft peaks. Fold half of the whites into the cheese mixture with as few strokes as possible. Then fold in the remaining whites. Gently spoon the mixture into a generously buttered 18-inch oval ovenproof dish (or two 12-inch ovals). Bake on the top shelf of the oven until puffed and well browned, 10 to 14 minutes.
Pair with a glass of Pinot Gris from Oregon or Alsace.
Spring Into New Classes at Cook Street
Spring is here with a vengeance…and we’re excited about several upcoming classes at Cook Street:
Classic Techniques: Artisan Bread This class is your last chance this spring to learn the ins and outs of breadmaking! From quick breads to sourdough, challah, brioche, even naan, you’ll go far beyond the basics in this popular class. Click here for information and registration.
Wines of Italy This class is your passport to all things Italian wine! Learn about the wines of Piedmont, Tuscany, and Sicily as you taste and explore in our exclusive new wine space. Click here for information and registration.
Cheese and Wine Pairing Kick off spring in style as you learn how to pair cheese with the perfect glass of wine. From flavor profiles to information about tasting and wine properties, you’ll come away from this class with plenty of hands-on knowledge. Click here for information and registration.
Cheese 101: An Introduction to Cheese From milks to types, this class will help you navigate the wide world of cheese. You’ll sample six to nine cheeses and three to six paired wines as you gain enviable cheesy expertise. Click here for information and registration.
Personal Chef Course Starts April 1!
Ready to give your career a boost? It’s time to take your culinary dreams to the next level with Cook Street’s Culinary Business Academy Quick Start Plus Personal Chef Course starting April 1.
This unique, hands-on course will give you the information you need to start and run your own personal chef business! You’ll learn the business, administrative and logistical aspects of ownership and operation of a Personal Chef Service, from start-up to operation and so much more!
Our accelerated course is the first of its kind ever offered in the exploding personal chef industry…and it gives you the chance to earn your Personal Chef diploma in just three days. For details and registration, click here.
Pasta, Please!
Ever wonder why pasta gets short shrift from some foodies? At Cook Street, we’re out to rectify that misunderstanding with Pasta, Pasta, Pasta!, a class devoted to the delicious noodles in all their amazing variations. Get excited about this Saturday’s class with these pasta facts:
- Pasta’s one of the world’s oldest foods. In fact, historians estimate it was eaten as far back as 5,000 B.C.!
- A piece of pasta has to contain egg to be considered a noodle.
- There are more than 600 pasta shapes in all, and the average American eats 15.5 pound per year.
- Thomas Jefferson is credited with bringing the first pasta machine to the United States. He brought a “Maccaroni” machine home from France in 1789.
- October is National Pasta Month.
- Some pasta varieties have truly poetic names. Fettuccine means ribbons; stelline means little stars; and capelli d’angelo means angel’s hair.
Join us for Pasta, Pasta, Pasta! this Saturday and leave knowing how to make Classic Pasta Carbonara; Penne with Sausage, Tomato, and Roasted Garlic; and Chocolate Pasta with Raspberry Sauce. We provide the paired wines and hands-on instruction, you get pasta-making skills to last a lifetime!
Reminder: There’s still time to vote for 5280’s Top of the Town Awards! Just click here to enter, and nominate Cook Street for “Best Cooking Class” and “Best Rainy Day Activity.” Mille grazie!
Butchery, Top of the Town, and More – What’s News at Cook Street
Meat: Remember the butchery class we featured a few weeks ago? Well, registration is up and running and time is running out! Do your career a favor — invest in full-scale meat fabrication skills taught by Il Mondo Vecchio’s Mark DeNittis. Click here for full details and registration information.
Eat: It’s not too late to go on a fun-filled date (or treat yourself to better cooking skills)! Wield a knife with savvy and confidence with Knife Skills (March 3) and take control of the wine list with Wine 101 (March 4). And that’s not all. Click here for a full class calendar.
Vote: It’s that time again…time for 5280 Magazine’s Top of the Town awards! Vote for Cook Street for Best Cooking Class or Best Rainy Day Activity. Voting is open until March 18…tell a friend, and thanks for your vote!
Get The Edge…Changes Coming To Knife Skills Course
Knife skills aren’t just a buzzword in cooking…they’re a set of techniques that will serve you through a lifelong of showstopping, delicious and well-cooked meals. We’re excited to share details about our upcoming Knife Skills classes, including some exciting changes you won’t want to miss!
First, the nitty-gritty…each Knife Skills class is so hands-on, we limit registration so you get the personal attention you deserve! Our knife skills class will help you hone your knife techniques so that you’re a more confident and polished cook. And the meal you cook will be paired with perfect wines to show off all that hard work.
March 3’s class will focus on chicken butchery, soups, and a delicious fresh fruit dessert, all showing off your newly-acquired skills. You’ll learn to cook minestrone, chicken madeira, and a fresh fruit crostada…perfect staples you’ll enjoy for years to come!
If you’ve ever agonized over fish, you won’t want to miss our April 13 class, which features an all-new menu. You’ll put your coveted skills to use as you prepare Spanish garlic soup, pan-roasted seasonal fish with a warm bacon-apple vinaigrette, a salad of citrus-dressed microgreens, and our famous fruit crostada to top it off!
Ready to take your skills to a sharp extreme? Grab a friend and sign up for Knife Skills…details and registration can be found here.
5 Reasons to Tackle Artisan Bread
There are only a few days left until our next session of Classic Techniques: Artisan Bread begins…and here’s why we think you should attend:
Variety is the spice of life…and our class, which focuses on bread techniques, enriched breads, breakfast breads and varieties such as crackers, naan and pizza, offers plenty to choose from! You’ll leave with an extensive knowledge of breadmaking to serve you for a lifetime.
Breadmaking is timeless…and the skills you’ll learn are as old as time. Whether you’re cooking up challah or sourdough, bagels or pizza, the skills you gain in our class will translate to a lifetime of timeless cooking with the classics!
Get your hands dirty…with our professional chef instructors in our gorgeous LoDo kitchen! You won’t just hear about breadmaking techniques, you’ll test them out for yourself…and that kinetic experience will stick with you once you’re back in your own kitchen.
Stay warm…is there anything more warming and comforting than a piping-hot loaf of homemade bread? We didn’t think so. Forget about winter for a moment as you focus on the history, chemistry, and handmade goodness of bread.
Community…is the centerpiece of any Cook Street class. Bring a friend or get to know new ones as you commune over lunch (with wine of course), knead and prepare doughs, and sample your creations.
Hungry for some homemade bread? See complete menus and register for the course here.
Announcing Exclusive New Butchery Extension Program
Do you have a professional interest in butchery and charcuterie? Cook Street will soon launch Foundations of Meat Fabrication Professional Series, a new extension course. Taught by Mark DeNittis, founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute of Meat, owner of Il Mondo Vecchio and a member of the Denver Five, this class offers the once-in-a-lifetime chance to master all facets of meat production and charcuterie under the tutelage of a local master.
Learn basic butchery and meat fabrication, from safety to grading, product acquisition to advanced processing (that’s right: we’ll be butchering whole carcasses and tackling charcuterie hands-on!). Gain skills to last a lifetime (and help make your career). We anticipate high demand for this unique course, which is limited only to Cook Street graduates and those with a year or more experience in food service. Stay tuned for more information!
A Slew of News at Cook Street
January’s always a busy month at Cook Street, but this year is off to a better start than ever! Here’s what you should know about what’s new at our lovely LoDo kitchen:
Feed Your Dreams: Learn about how the Cook Street 180° Professional Culinary Arts Program can help you live your dreams in the culinary world on Saturday, February 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. Feed your senses as you join Cook Street’s chef instructors in the kitchen to prep a three course meal and learn why Cook Street is right for you! Come ready for more information on our professional culinary arts program and leave with a special early application incentive. Limited seating available – $10 registration fee per guest. Call (303) 951-6688 or email admissions@cookstreet.com to attend.
Wine and Dine: Cook Street is pleased to announce a new partnership with the International Sommelier Guild (ISG) to offer professional wine instruction to the school’s world-class professional culinary program. As part of this new offering, Cook Street students will have the ability to earn a level one ISG certification upon completion of their professional program, availing themselves of the top-notch resources, pooled knowledge, and rigorous standards of the ISG. Chef Instructor Thomas Allen will continue to provide wine instruction to Cook Street recreational students, while seasoned wine professional Kathryn Brinkmann will take over wine buying for Cook Street. In addition, Cook Street is pleased to announce its plans to renovate a dedicated wine space within the Cook Street Café, where it will move its recreational wine instruction starting in March 2011.
Chef de Cuisine: We’re proud to welcome Charles MacDonald, our new Chef de Cuisine. Charles began his culinary career in 2003, when he attended the ACF apprenticeship program through Keystone Culinary Institute in Summit County, CO. Here he was given the opportunity to work in AAA 4-star, 4-Diamond restaurants such as Keystone Ranch, Alpenglow Stube and Ski Tip Lodge. Graduating with honors, he was awarded Student Culinarian of the Year in 2007 and received his credentials through the American Culinary Federation as a Certified Culinarian. He then joined the Keystone staff, assisting with the progression of up and coming apprentices around the resort. After traveling coast to coast cooking in prestigious restaurants, Charles found his home at Z Cuisine in the Lower Highlands of Denver Colorado. Initially as Sous Chef under Chef Peter Ryan and eventually becoming Chef de Cuisine MacDonald spent the next two years honing his skills and passion for traditional and regional French bistro cuisine, all the while exploiting the use and importance of fresh, farm to table, local and organic products. During his stint at the bistro, Z Cuisine was rated “ Best French Restaurant” by Westword Magazine and recognized by Zagat as one of the top 20 restaurants in the state of Colorado. Welcome, Charles!
New Class Alert! Gastro Tour
One of the best parts of our job is going in-depth…combining our chefs’ expertise in food and wine to create the ultimate hands-on culinary experience. On that note, we’re thrilled to announce a new class that will bring more depth to your cooking than ever: Gastro Tour – Alsace!
Dive into one region’s food and wine with Gastro Tour, an evening that combines an in-depth lecture on food and wine pairings with a hands-on cooking class. The result? An unforgettable three-course meal with at least two regional wines to match…and an unparalleled understanding of a whole new culinary region. The Alsace class will help you approach German culinary traditions with a French accent…it’s a tour of vibrant Alsace, where the food is earthy, authentic, and accessible!
Prepare and enjoy…
- Tart Flambe served with Greens (Flammukuchen with Bacon, Onion, Fromage Blanc, Deglazed with Kirsch).
- Poulet Roti au Riesling avec Pommes a L’Asacienne (Pan Roasted Chicken in Rielsing Cream Sauce, Turned Potatoes with Poppyseeds, Mustard and Parsley, Served with Wilted Red Cabbage).
- Alsace Cheese Plate
- …and perfectly paired wines with food and wine pairing instruction!
Join us for Gastro Tour – Alsace on Saturday, March 19 from 6-9:30 p.m.! Click here to register.
